2026 Festivals & Events Ontario Achievement Awards Announced
Kitchener, Ontario (February 25, 2026) Festivals and Events Ontario (FEO) is proud to announce the 2026 FEO Achievement Award winners. These awards, showcase various elements of festivals or events that those submitting believe stood out in the previous festival year. The Achievement Awards were handed out on Wednesday, February 25th, 2026, during FEO’s annual conference “SUSTAIN” in Kitchener, Ontario.
Submissions from FEO members were received for consideration in the fall of 2025 and were judged by an independent panel of judges. Festivals and events of all kinds from every corner of Ontario were represented in the submissions – from community festivals to internationally recognized events.
FEO would like to congratulate the 2026 Achievement Award Winners.
Best New Festival or Event
Operating Budget of $100,000 or less – Whitby Home Sweet Home Festival
Operating Budget of $100,000 to $500,000 – Oshawa Convergence Music and Art Festival
Best Promotional Campaign
Operating Budget of $100,000 or less – Goderich Salt and Harvest Festival
Operating Budget of $100,000 to $500,000 – Western Fair London
Operating Budget of $500,000 or more – Port Colborne Canal Days Marine Heritage Festival
Best Festival or Event Series (new category)
Operating Budget of $100,000 or less – Pelham Summer Chill Series
Operating Budget of $100,000 to $500,000 – Newmarket Music Series
Operating Budget of $500,000 or more – Niagara Grape and Wine Festival
Best Social Media Campaign (tie)
Norfolk County Fair and Horse Show
Western Fair London
FEO Impact Award
Operating Budget of $100,000 or less – Hike Haliburton
Operating Budget of $100,000 to $500,000 – Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Festival
FEO Innovation Award
Operating Budget of $100,000 or less – Barrie Family Fright Fest
Operating Budget of $100,000 to $500,000 – Scarehouse Windsor
Operating Budget of $500,000 or more – Because Beer Craft Beer Festival
FEO Sustainability Award
Operating Budget of $100,000 to $500,000 – Peterborough Folk Festival
Operating Budget of $500,000 or more – Hillside Festival Guelph
Sponsor of the Year
Operating Budget of $100,000 or less – Oshawa Events in the Park sponsored by: TD Bank
Operating Budget of $100,000 to $500,000 – Vaughan International Film Festival sponsored by: QuadReal Property Group
Operating Budget of $500,000 or more – Thunder Bay Event Series sponsored by: Ontario Power Generation
Best Volunteer Program
Toronto International Film Festival
The “SUSTAIN” 2026 Festivals & Events Ontario Conference was held in Kitchener, Ontario from February 23-25, 2026.
Media Contact:
Jay Nijhuis Marketing & Communications Manager
Festivals and Events Ontario
www.festivalsandeventsontario.com
519-742-2226
About Festivals & Events Ontario
Festivals & Events Ontario (FEO) was established in 1987 as an association devoted to the growth and stability of the festival and event industry in Ontario. FEO supports a lively, engaged and dedicated festival and events industry by sharing knowledge, enabling networking and providing leadership on education, advocacy and promotion. FEO operates Canada’s largest dedicated festival and event Conference, publishes and distributes an annual consumer guide, promotes its industry festival supplier goods and services and oversees an industry-leading awards recognition program. The festivals and events industry in Ontario is estimated to generate in excess of $2.3 billion annually in contribution to regional GDP, create/sustain approximately 50,000 full-year-equivalent jobs and foster approximately $1 billion dollars in taxes at all levels of government.